Jacques Mateos

My goal is to keep those small moments, all the emotions that make a wedding and handing it to future generations. I work with a journalistic approach to document weddings with an unobtrusive way on which I add some dedicated moments for creative bridal party and portraits.

I bought my first camera with my first wage when I was a student in 1977. From that year on I was fully interested in photojournalism and have especially worked on the most known: Cartier Bresson, Depardon or even Brassai.

I had the opportunity to shoot my first wedding in 2006. I shoot also for advertising and fashion, illustration of travel. All these different light conditions or assignments contribute to being able to work in a non planned situation. I am also a writer for a French editor for which I have written (with a co author) 3 books about Canon cameras (1000D, 5D MKII and 5DMKIII).

To complete the landscape, I share my passion with one of my 4 daughters. My wife spent a lot of time as a semi pro actress and novel writer, also giving her feelings as a mother, spouse and bride about my work.

Judges

Great faces on the bride and the father. The arm reaching in helps bring my eye right to them. My only complaint is that I wish there was a little more emotion on the faces of everyone at the right side of the image.

I love how this strong moment stands out from the detailed background. I also enjoyed seeing how the woman at left is touching both of the wedding couple as her left arm works as both a leading entry to the subject and a lower framing element. The parasols also play a role completing the frame - insisting that our eyes do not waver far from the moment.

Judges

Adjoining rooms make for some wonderful juxtapositions but it’s not often that the subjects mirror one another in both action (making a phone call) and posture (bent slightly forward). The contrasting balance of light and shadow works to draw our eyes from edge to edge of the frame. And, if our eyes get lost, there are numerous leading lines that point to “home."

Judges

Judges

Wedding receptions are all about celebration, and photographs of people having a good time abound. This photo of the bride sitting on her (presumed) new husband’s shoulders as he prances around the dance floor depicts perhaps the first time in their married life when they don’t see things quite the same way. As family and friends urge the couple on the bride laughs and waves to the crowd. She is certainly enjoying herself. He, however, holds his lower stomach and winces in obvious pain. It’s a de-coupling moment, if you will. And it’s very funny! The delayed shutter captures the ambient light, the slightly tilted composition adds to the feeling of revelry and the strobe freezes the motion of the couple and captures a truly decisive moment. This could have been a winner in the humor category as well.

Judges

This photograph asks a lot of questions because of the juxtaposition of people and the expressions on the faces. The man on the right with a seemingly saddened facial expression and clenched fists has his own story. Very interesting and the strong color of the walls accentuates the drama.